A priest and three other people were seriously injured when a man attacked a church congregation with a sword during Sunday mass in Indonesia.

About 100 people were at St Lidwina Church in Sleman, Yogyakarta province, when a man wielding a metre-long blade burst in and began lashing out at worshippers.

A police spokesman said: "Four people have been injured in the incident - quite seriously - but we still cannot determine the perpetrator's motive."

Worshipper Andhi Cahyo said a few minutes after the service started, a congregation member ran in with a bleeding head while he was chased by a young man holding a sharp weapon.

He said: "Everybody started panicking and screaming. I was scrambling to save my wife and children."

As the attacker slashed Christian imagery and a number of books and damaged a Virgin Mary statue, people used another door to escape.

Police arrived soon after the attack and fired a warning shot but the attacker refused to surrender.

Image:Indonesian police examine the scene after the atrocity

The man was shot and wounded by police and taken to hospital following the attack on the island of Java.

The police spokesman said: "After the warning shot was fired, the attacker charged towards the officer with his sword. The officer then shot him below his stomach, but he managed to injure the cop before being subdued."

All the victims have been taken to hospital for treatment.

Police said the man was a university student in his early 20s but could not confirm if the incident was terror-related.

The man is undergoing treatment at Bhayangkara Hospital and has yet to be questioned by police.

Image:Police carry evidence from the church

Extremists have carried out a series of attacks against Christians and other minorities in the mainly Muslim country.